31 Days of Scream-O-Ween! - Q: The Winged Serpent

Friday

Oct 4, 2013 at 5:20 PM

By Adam Ruhl

Q: The Winged Serpent is the first Scream Factory title Iímreviewing that I had not seen the movie before now. Taking obscure horrormovies, restoring them to glory, and giving them back to the world is thebiggest reason I love Scream Factory and why I wanted to do these reviews. Forme they are reviving that old horror fan tradition of going to the localindependent video store, scanning the shelves full of old horror VHSís, andgambling on finding a lost horror treasure. Each box had its own amazing, intriguing,and often misleading artwork. It was teenage Friday night thrill that sadlyperished with the passing of the video store, but as you watch these ScreamFactory titles you can live a little of that thrill again. Now, on with the Q:The Winged Serpent review, or as the box proclaims ďIts name is Quetzalcoatl...just call it Q, that's all you'll have time to say before it tears youapart!"

Q: The Winged Serpent

The Film:

The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a giant winged serpent, sets upa nest in the top of the Chrysler building and terrorizes New York. DetectiveShepard (David Carradine) is investigating a series of ritual Aztec sacrificesthat have been occurring around the city. Meanwhile, after a botched robbery,Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty) flees to the spire of the Chrysler building andstumbles upon Qís nest and the egg it holds.

Jimmy uses this knowledge to escape his criminal bosses andtrade the information to avoid jail time for his crimes. Q, is portrayed with alot of close ups of parts of the creature and stop motion that was dated evenwhen the movie was new. Itís still fun watching the monster pop up and carrysomeone off in broad daylight (no one in New York seems to see Q until itís toolate). A lot of the detective story seems to be filler; however Moriarty turnsin a strong performance as Jimmy in a role that could have been lifted fromanother movie.

The Disc:

This is advertised as part of the Scream Factory series butmy copy just has the Shout Factory logo on it. Likewise thereís no slip coverand the art is just the original poster. It does have inside cover illustrationshowing several other Q posters but I donít think itís meant to be reversed.

The transfer is beautiful, no dirt, crisp clean film grain,and DTS sound. There is a weird yellow flicker along the right side during onescene thatís distracting but it doesnít last long. The film stock used is verymuch of the late 70ís, early 80ís era; the aerial footage reminds me stronglyof the opening of the old Dallas TV show.

The Features:

Audio Commentary with Director Larry Cohen

Teaser

Theatrical Trailer

The Specs:

1080p Hi-Def widescreen 1.78:1

DTS-HD Master Audio

English-only Audio & Subtitles.

Original Release: 1982

Runtime: 92 minutes

Rated R

Final Grades:

Story: C / Most of the story just serves as a bridge betweenQ eating people.

Q: The Winged Serpent is the first Scream Factory title Iím
reviewing that I had not seen the movie before now. Taking obscure horror
movies, restoring them to glory, and giving them back to the world is the
biggest reason I love Scream Factory and why I wanted to do these reviews. For
me they are reviving that old horror fan tradition of going to the local
independent video store, scanning the shelves full of old horror VHSís, and
gambling on finding a lost horror treasure. Each box had its own amazing, intriguing,
and often misleading artwork. It was teenage Friday night thrill that sadly
perished with the passing of the video store, but as you watch these Scream
Factory titles you can live a little of that thrill again. Now, on with the Q:
The Winged Serpent review, or as the box proclaims ďIts name is Quetzalcoatl...
just call it Q, that's all you'll have time to say before it tears you
apart!"

Q: The Winged Serpent

The Film:
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a giant winged serpent, sets up
a nest in the top of the Chrysler building and terrorizes New York. Detective
Shepard (David Carradine) is investigating a series of ritual Aztec sacrifices
that have been occurring around the city. Meanwhile, after a botched robbery,
Jimmy Quinn (Michael Moriarty) flees to the spire of the Chrysler building and
stumbles upon Qís nest and the egg it holds.
Jimmy uses this knowledge to escape his criminal bosses and
trade the information to avoid jail time for his crimes. Q, is portrayed with a
lot of close ups of parts of the creature and stop motion that was dated even
when the movie was new. Itís still fun watching the monster pop up and carry
someone off in broad daylight (no one in New York seems to see Q until itís too
late). A lot of the detective story seems to be filler; however Moriarty turns
in a strong performance as Jimmy in a role that could have been lifted from
another movie.

The Disc:
This is advertised as part of the Scream Factory series but
my copy just has the Shout Factory logo on it. Likewise thereís no slip cover
and the art is just the original poster. It does have inside cover illustration
showing several other Q posters but I donít think itís meant to be reversed.
The transfer is beautiful, no dirt, crisp clean film grain,
and DTS sound. There is a weird yellow flicker along the right side during one
scene thatís distracting but it doesnít last long. The film stock used is very
much of the late 70ís, early 80ís era; the aerial footage reminds me strongly
of the opening of the old Dallas TV show.
The Features:
Audio Commentary with Director Larry Cohen
Teaser
Theatrical Trailer
The Specs:
1080p Hi-Def widescreen 1.78:1
DTS-HD Master Audio
English-only Audio & Subtitles.
Original Release: 1982
Runtime: 92 minutes
Rated R

Final Grades:
Story: C / Most of the story just serves as a bridge between
Q eating people.
Presentation quality: A- / Clean and sharp but some spots
may suffer from in-camera flaws.
Scare factor: C- / The horror is almost campy by todayís
standards.
Gore Factor: B+ / Lots of fun decapitations and blood
falling on peopleís heads like bird poop.
Repeat view-ability: C / Itís got its moments but this one
is probably best watched with friends and a few beers.
Special Features: C / Directorís Commentary, Trailer, and
Teaser make for a pretty light feature set.

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